The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus that includes a printing section and a section which reads a document.
In an image forming apparatus such as a copier or a multifunction peripheral, execution of jobs is accompanied by generation of noise. Too loud noise from an image forming apparatus is disturbing, and is perceived unpleasant by the user. On an occasion of introducing a new image forming apparatus, how loud noise it gives off during execution of jobs may be taken into consideration. Therefore, the noise given off from an image forming apparatus during execution of jobs should preferably be as low as possible.
With reduction of operating noise in mind, a known image forming apparatus operates as follows: specifically, it reads a document, and transports recording paper from a recording paper containing portion to an image recording portion to record the read image; it has a quiet mode in which it performs the recording more quietly than usual so that it performs the recording, ordinarily, by starting transport of the recording paper before completion of the reading and, when quiet mode is selected, by starting transport of the recording paper after completion of the reading. Operating noise is reduced in response to operation of a switching means for reduction of operating noise (a switch for quiet mode).
An image forming apparatus can be provided with a document reading section (scanner) to read a document to obtain image data. To save the trouble of setting the document sheet by sheet, the document reading section can be furnished with a function of automatically transporting one sheet after another out of the stack of the document placed. The document reading section generates image data by reading page after page of the document that are transported automatically and sequentially.
When reading the document, the document reading section gives off noise resulting from transport of the document. The noise given off from the document reading section includes noise resulting from feeding of the document, such as thrusting noise and handling noise; noise resulting from the transported document colliding with and rubbing against transport guides; driving noise of a motor for transporting the document; and noise resulting from operation of rotary members such as rollers and mechanical components such as gears that are rotated by the motor to transport the document.
Thus, as the document is read, noise is generated. So that an image forming apparatus, while executing a job, does not give off noise so disturbing as to be perceived unpleasant by the user, it is preferable to reduce the noise generated in the document reading section. The faster the document is transported, the louder the noise resulting from its reading tends to be. Thus, the more slowly the document is read (the lower the transport speed), the easier it is to reduce the noise generated in the document reading section.
However, reducing the transport speed of the document reduces the number of sheets of the document that are read per unit time, leading to lower productivity. Therefore, giving priority to the handling performance (reading speed) of the document reading section tends to result in noise so disturbing as to be perceived unpleasant by the user; on the other hand, giving priority to quietness tends to result in low productivity in the document reading section.
The known image forming apparatus mentioned above has a quiet mode in which it operates with reduced operating noise. However, in this image forming apparatus, even in quiet mode, the speed at which the document is transported and read is the same as in ordinary mode. That is, while document reading alone is taking place, no care to suppress noise so disturbing as to be perceived unpleasant by the user is taken by reducing the document transport speed. Thus, this known design does not provide a solution to the problem of document reading being accompanied by noise so disturbing as to be perceived unpleasant by the user. Nor does it provide a solution to the difficulty achieving, in the document reading section, so suppressed operating noise as not to be perceived disturbing combined with satisfactory productivity (high-speed reading performance).